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mercredi, août 30, 2006

When I voted YES for Europe way back in the turbulent times of the referendum I was not thinking Nationalist vs Labour (of course), nor was I thinking of any possible future job in Luxembourg (much to the chagrin of all those who think otherwise). Nope. My main reason for getting Malta into the EU as fast as possible was primarily a local one. I had had enough of the contradictory politics which based itself on screwing the least protected and destroying the country's future in the process. The new generation of politicians were as much of a messy promise as the ancien regime and there was only one way out: to subscribe to a set of values that would take some of the decisions out of their hands and (ironically) closer to what the citizens want.

Then I had in mind the environment, transport and services. Nowadays it is becoming more of a reality. Take for example the EU Commission's reaction to the government plans for Ta' Cenc. If Gonzi & Co can afford to dismiss Alternattiva and slap NGO's on the hand by deviating attention to the Vote George Get Lorry saga, there will be less of the dismissive action now that the Commission is insisting that it wants mor areas conserved and protected. Want to hear some music? Here goes:

"The Commission services are of the view that other species of wild flora and fauna exist on the site of Ta' Cenc, so further sites should be designated for conservation under the Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC). The Commission services intend to discuss this further with the Maltese authorities".

Lovely isn't it? And we are guaranteed more of the same. Now that Common Sense is as scarce as the Common Spleenworth (just rediscovered in ta' Cenc) on the islands of Melita, the intervention of the Commission will be seen as a breath of fresh air - especially by those who like myself are still waiting for a change of attitude from our very own best and brightest.